


teach me how to paint

by Parasite



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, emma is an art teacher, family drama oh no, milf alert, regina has two kids because i cant write henry well lol, she teaches regina's kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26367814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parasite/pseuds/Parasite
Summary: When the Mayor walked into her classroom- Emma thought one thing- Mary Margaret was gonna get a kick out of this. Ruby was gonna laugh in her face. She was gonna be an enemy of the parent of one of her students.But then she was somewhat thrown haphazardly into the Mills' family drama- despite being a lonely substitute teacher who just practically arrived in town and also somewhat had a crush on the Mayor.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	teach me how to paint

**Author's Note:**

> So while I was trying to write my distraction fic (basically a breather from my big once rewrite) this fic idea distracted me from my distraction fic. Thanks, Mars Argo.

It starts with loud music and the headphones that were too big for her not to notice. (They legit looked like straight out of the seventies which was odd- to say in the least. Don’t kids use those airpod things?) She jokingly pulled them off her the first time-not wanting to ruin her reputation as the fun substitute teacher- and then actually told her to take them off the second time. The third time she pulled her aside- and the fourth? She gave the girl a detention slip. 

“Miss Swan, come on!” The girl pleaded. “My mom will kill me.”

Emma nodded amusedly. She knew  _ that _ for a fact. She only has met Regina Mills in passing, small town and all, but she knew of the mayor who was as anal-retentive as a tiger mother. Come to think of it, Mary Margaret described Regina as a tiger mom. Huh. Mary Margaret taught the woman’s other kid at the elementary school. A boy who her roommate often described as ‘special and lonely’. Mary Margaret tended to have those people flock to her. Emma knew from experience. 

Mary Margaret was  _ also _ deathly afraid of the mayor- which yeah, sure. She was the Mayor and she seemed to be a bit of a bitch but whatever. Hard asses like that never scared Emma Swan. Emma Swan was able to push their buttons and make them stumble.

“I kept telling you to take them off, but you didn’t. Maybe get smaller headphones next time if you want to sneak them. Just be there on Tuesday, okay?”

The girl scrunched her face and took the piece of paper angrily. Emma ran her fingers through her hair sighing. Why did she get the inkling today was gonna be a rough day?

She was packing up some watercolor paints at the end of the day when a quick knock on her door brought her head up to none other than the mayor. 

If only the mayor was here on a friendly visit- Emma would have thought she looked hot, But no- Emma knew this woman was gonna tear her a new one. The look on her face was one of fury. 

“Uh, Hello?” 

“Are you Miss Swan?” Her voice was threatening- which was kinda hot. Emma cursed at herself internally. Was she really that lonely? Maybe she would take up Ruby on that offer of going out to a bar soon.

“Yeah, I am. Is there a problem Madame Mayor?” 

“Yes. you gave my daughter detention.” Her sentence was clipped.

She was standing stiff- her peacoat starched and her heels shined. She looked more like a wife of some state senator than the mayor of some town in bumfuck Maine. The Mayor then daintily put her handbag on one of the tables near the door. Emma hoped there was no paint there. 

Emma stared at her in hoping to relay that she was not really up for this conversation right now. Her head was pounding and she was practically starving. 

“Well, yes. When a student isn’t following the rules and I give them warnings and then they don’t follow those, yes. I give out detentions.” Emma explained. She may been a little too on the nose because the other woman’s eyes narrow. 

“That is a different story then what my daughter said.”

Emma just stared back- she didn’t know what to say to that. 

“Uhhh, I don’t know what to tell you. Like, she broke the rules and I warned her. She did it again and I gave her a detention. Like those headphones were pretty obvious to see.” Emma shoved her hands in her pockets. 

The mayor cleared her throat and seemed to think a moment before speaking. Emma watched- she hasn’t had to fight many parents yet and she sure didn’t want to fight the goddamn mayor.    
  


“Her brother has a concert that day- and I won’t be able to pick her up and make it to his concert on time. Can you just reschedule it for another day?” 

Emma blinked. Huh, she assumed the mayor would be the type to fight to prove her precious little darling would do no wrong. But Emma assumed wrong, she guessed. 

“Yeah, I can reschedule. Does the day after work fine?” 

The other woman nodded and turned on her heel and left. 

Shit bro.

Her phone lit up with a text- Mary Margaret was coming over to the high school with some food for her. Oh yeah- she was probably just getting out too. 

When she welcomed the pixie-haired woman into her classroom, she was practically vibrating in excitement to tell her what happened. 

“Guess who visited me right before you arrived?”

Mary Margaret’s eyes were wide. 

“Who? Was it David?”

“David? No? Why would it be David?” Emma asked in confusion. 

Mary Margaret paused and smiled weakly. 

“Oh, for god’s sake,” Emma started to laugh. “ You have something to tell me too, huh!” Mary Margaret blushed deeply-the ruddiness crawling up her neck. Emma continued to laugh. “Anyway, Regina Mills paid me a visit today.”

Mary Margaret’s eyes went ever wider.

“What did she want?” The woman’s voice was a whisper. 

“I gave her daughter detention and she got mad about it. We talked about it and I was able to reschedule it. No biggie. She is not as scary as you make her out to be. What did you do to her cause I am starting to think the hatred is more personal than widespread across all the poor residents of this sad little town.” 

“She hates me... but the story is too long and complicated to even get into. I thought she would hate you too. Then you would see how scary she is.” Mary Margaret grumbled, making Emma laugh again. 

“So, what is this about David?” Emma asked while unpacking the food. The blush bloomed again on Mary Margaret again.

“I am not talking about David with you. I refuse too. You’ll just lecture me and then nod as you know better.”

“Because I do?” Her hand hovered over her friend’s shoulder. She wanted to provide comfort- she really did. But God did Emma suck ass regarding that. Mary Margaret looked at her and giggled.

"What?" She said indignantly. 

"You once pined over a straight girl for months because she kissed you on the cheek."

Emma blushed at that. Elsa was from her college days - days that she would much like to forget. 

"You promised when I accepted this sub position you wouldn't bring up my stupid college mistakes."

Mary Margaret smiled at her and patted her arm, full of sympathy. Emma glared at the woman’s hand on her arm.

"I wouldn't call Elsa a mistake per se- more of a cautionary tale." Her friend gave her that weird mom look she does whenever she brings up Emma’s college life. 

“Elsa was- she was…” Emma looked at her nails, the pinky still having some black polish on it from what? Weeks ago?

“Yeah.” Her friend supplied, sounding like a disappointed parent. Emma sighed- she really needed to start dating again. If not for the benefits, of well, dating but to get Mary Margaret off her back. 

“Wait- wasn’t this conversation about David? How did you spin it back onto me?”    
  
Her friend has an all-knowing grin on her face. No- Emma won’t have this.

“He is married, Mary Margaret. Come on! If Kathryn were to ever find out-”

“He said he was going to tell her soon.” 

“Sure.”

A balled-up napkin hit her straight in the face. She and Mary Margaret were acquaintances back in college- both knowing each other through Ruby Lucas. Mary Margaret was studying to become a teacher and Emma? Emma was and still is a struggling artist. She got this sub job when sleeping on Ruby’s couch became just a tad too pathetic. Ruby was still miraculously talking to Mary Margaret and she saw there was an opening in her school district and recommended Emma- something Emma was eternally grateful for. 

The previous art teacher was actually a replacement for the one before that one but he chopped off his finger while using a power saw so- Emma had the job for the rest of the year. Something about having trouble finding another permanent replacement. 

“You know- back when we only met through Ruby I was sure you were judging me hard about Elsa. But now- I wonder if that has any merit since you have no qualms with dating a marri-”   
  
Mary Margaret jumped up and covered her hand over Emma’s mouth. 

“MhhMM?” Her muffled yell rang out. 

“Miss Blanchard?” A voice startled them both- because Mary Margaret practically was smothering her by now. 

It was the Mayor. 

“What are you doing to Miss Swan?” 

Mary Margaret dropped her hand so fast it was like a blur in front of Emma’s eyes. 

“Uh, Hello Madame Mayor!” Mary Margaret seemed to force the words out- scared shitless.    
  
“I just came back to get my bag.” Emma’s eyes flick back to the bag on the table near the door. Oh yeah. Emma nodded at her- and as she watched the woman’s retreating form she felt the laughter bubble upside her. Making sure she was actually gone- Emma promptly burst out laughing.    
  
“Oh, My God.” She enunciated each word separately. “She looked like she wanted to kill you.”

“She is friends with Kathryn, Emma. Like Regina has one friend. And its her.”

“And that’s not the reason why she hates you? I don’t want my friendship with you ruining my chance of charming the mayor over.”

Another napkin was chucked at her face. 

**Author's Note:**

> please harass me on my social media to update shit 
> 
> tumblr: parasite-life
> 
> twitter: @parasite_ways


End file.
